A Deadly Alliance
by Caitriona3
Summary: Darcy kind of puts together a deadly little alliance...mostly by accident. - Prequel to Bang, Bang. Written thanks to much prompting by plot bunny enablers.


_Author's Note – People will keep feeding the plot bunnies. This is set before Bang, Bang._

**A Deadly Alliance**

Darcy heard the door open and close. "Hey!" she called out, continuing to work on the wires under her desk. "Which one of you is back?" 

"It's me," Jane answered from somewhere in the room.

"Good," Darcy replied before waving a hand over the top of her desk. "I really don't want to let go of these wires, but I need the small screwdriver. Pass it here, please?" She felt the screwdriver being placed in her hand and snaked her arm back under the desk to finish hooking up the new set of monitors. Pulling back, she remained crouched as she peered over the top of the desk to make sure everything started lighting up properly.

Jane came over and propped a hip on the corner of the desk. "SHIELD's in town?"

"Dollar short and a day late?" Darcy muttered, sarcasm lacing her words. "It would have been nice to see them six months ago or so."

"They want to move us to New York," Jane told her, lips folding in annoyance.

"Oh, screw that!" Darcy shot back. "Not that I wouldn't mind being back in the US of A, but really? They don't answer our calls; they don't show up to help with the alien invasion that I'm pretty damn sure qualifies as their…their…" She waved her hand for a moment, trying to come up with the right word. "Jurisdiction!" she spat out finally. "And now, just when we've finally gotten set back up, _now_ they want to pack us up and shift us to New York?"

"I really think it's actually Thor they want in New York," Jane offered.

"Which makes a selfish kind of sense," Darcy agreed petulantly, before brightening. "But the Big Guy won't go without you…"

"And I'm not going without all of you," Jane finished with a nod. "So, they want to pack all of us up."

"Even Ian?"

"Yes, everybody."

Darcy groaned, burying her face in her hands. "They couldn't have shown up last week?" she demanded even as she heard the door open once more. "Like _before_ we got all of the new stuff hooked up?"

"We were otherwise occupied." A new female voice spoke.

Knowing how SHIELD agents could be, Darcy forced herself to keep the simple college kid image even as her eyes swept the newcomer from the floor up as she stood. Black leather covered a figure that even strictly hetero-Darcy could acknowledge as hot. Red hair and direct green eyes highlighted a striking, but unfortunately familiar face. _Oh, well, hell,_ Darcy thought. She watched as the Black Widow blinked and frowned.

It was the only warning.

A gun appeared in the agent's hands.

The woman, whatever her real name might be, was good, good and fast, but Darcy's training consisted of predicting the unpredictable movements and mood swings of a mentally unstable nutjob.

She loved her dad. He was fun and awesome and everything a dad probably shouldn't be, but even she would admit he was certifiable. Not that she would tell him that. He would pout and brood and go off on a pancake-and-taco bender. It also might end in some form of bloodshed, and since he was trying to be a good guy these days, it would be best if she didn't get him started.

Back to her point – however good Black Widow might be, she gave a slight warning to her movements and that was all Darcy needed to have Jane tucked behind her and two guns pointed at the redhead.

"I hate standoffs," Darcy muttered. Her focus remained steady.

"Why are you here?" Widow demanded.

Darcy lifted one shoulder in a shrug even as her lips quirked in sardonic amusement. "I'm here to feed and water an absent-minded scientist for the most part," she replied in a mock-serious tone. "I intersperse that with fetching, carrying, teasing…oh, and protecting said scientist." Her brow furrowed for a moment. "I also moonlight as hero-support when murderous space elves come looking for a fight." She lifted a brow at Widow. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Lady Darcy!" Thor's booming voice shook the room.

"Hey, Big Guy!" Darcy greeted without shifting her gaze. "Need you to hang out for a minute. Widow and I are having a little get to know you chat."

"Shield-sister Widow is not a threat." Thor put a hand on her shoulder, his voice calm but still holding the hint of a rumble.

"We've met," Darcy told him, not completely able to control the fond smile which touched her mouth. "It wasn't an altogether friendly occasion."

"You interfered with a fact-finding mission," Widow pointed out, her steely gaze softening slightly with bemusement. Apparently she wasn't quite sure how to react to one of her teammates being friends with Darcy.

"Oh, please," Darcy smirked. "That guy was scum."

"Scum with connections to a major black market weapons-trader," Widow countered without arguing the main point.

"Considering his usual methods of stress relief?" Darcy's gaze turned flat. "You're lucky I didn't raze the place to the ground and then sow the earth with salt."

A hint of disgust flickered through Widow's eyes. "I won't argue that point."

"Good, because you would totally lose."

Amusement flashed in those green eyes before Widow turned serious once more. "I need to know why you're here."

"And I told you," Darcy repeated. "I take care of Jane. Period." Shadows crossed Widow's stoic face. She seemed both confused and uncertain over the whole situation. Darcy heaved a deep and heavy sigh. "If it helps?" she continued with exaggerated patience. "I'm retired. I've been pardoned basically everywhere…except maybe Russia. They don't like me there. I'm not real sure why." Her lips pursed, but then she shrugged. "I never took a job involving a child or an innocent."

Widow nodded slowly and considering before carefully putting her gun away. "I know."

"Good." Darcy returned the favor and the two women looked at each other for a long moment. She heard Thor and Jane shift behind her, but neither of them spoke. Finally Darcy tilted her head and asked, "So, what were you so busy with last week?"

"The Winter Soldier."

Darcy felt her eyes go wide. She blinked once…twice…three times. "Excuse me?" she demanded. "The Winter Soldier? He was stateside and you want me to take Jane there? Are you insane?"

"He was in Washington," Widow told her.

"Because that is oh so far from New York!"

Widow shook her head. "He's vanished again. It is unlikely he will remain on the east coast for now."

"Maybe," Darcy allowed. She bit her thumbnail. "Where is it you want to take Jane? Who all is going to be there?"

"Stark Tower," Widow replied. "It will be the main headquarters for the Avengers initiative."

"Which means…?"

"Thor, Stark, and Banner will be there on a regular basis. Rogers, Barton, and I will be there as well, but we will be gone more often." Widow waited, patient as she watched Darcy process.

Darcy nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay, I can see how that would be safer for the most part." Her nose wrinkled. "A little flashy though."

"It's Stark," Widow returned, straight-faced and a deadpan voice, but a hint of humor lightening her gaze.

"Point," Darcy sighed. "Please tell me we have minions to take everything down and move it?"

"That can be arranged."

"Because I just, literally just finished putting everything together," she pointed out. "I will probably cry if I have to break it all down." She waved her hands in emphasis. "I am talking copious amounts of salt water here. Alice in Wonderland levels of waterworks going on and we don't even have a Dodo to start the caucus race."

Widow's eyebrows twitched lightly and her lips curved up in the hint of a smile. "And do you manage six impossible things before breakfast?"

"You made a funny," Darcy grinned at her. "A fitting funny." She gave a decisive nod. "Okay, I like you. You can call me Darcy."

"Natasha," the redhead offered in return. "I'll arrange for the…minions."

"So," Jane finally spoke up, her eyes moving from Darcy to Natasha and back again. "I take it we _are_ going to New York?"

"I'm kind of thinking I'd prefer to be there rather than here if for some reason Tall, Dark, and Broodily Handsome decides you're a target," Darcy nodded. "He's a pain in the ass to avoid if you cross his path and he decides to follow." Thor raised an eyebrow and she grinned. "Not that I don't think you couldn't totally kick his ass, Big Guy," she assured him. "It's just…well, he's a ghost, likes the shadows, and you are way too sunny. He's tricky."

"He's an old friend of Rogers'," Natasha offered quietly.

"Seriously?" Darcy's eyes grew wide. "I knew he'd been around a while, but…" Her voice trailed off as her mind flipped through various remembered reports. "Seriously?"

"James 'Bucky' Barnes, one of the Howling Commandos of World War II," the redhead's voice remained steady, but a hint of something dark entered her voice.

"Huh." Darcy slumped back against the desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "Now isn't that just ducky?"


End file.
